The 80-ish Allentown resident, who has been going to the market since she was "a working girl," was one of the shoppers browsing yesterday at the market's grand reopening. Patrons got a glimpse of some of the completed renovations, which include the addition of 12 merchants and a restyled grocery store.

Pilolli, her daughter Mary Ferreira and her son-in-law John Ferreira filled two carts yesterday with meats, fruits, vegetables, bread and chips. They spend an hour or two every week of the year at the market. Unless they're on vacation, their weekly trip is routine.

Pilolli and the Ferreiras, of Salisbury Township, said the renovations will bring more business to the already crowded market, which is open year-round Thursdays through Saturdays.

"The atmosphere is better now," John Ferreira said.

They shop at the market for the quality. Chain supermarkets are unreliable when it comes to freshness, Pilolli said.

The renovations are an attempt to compete with the supermarkets, said owner Dan Wuchter and manager Cecelia Moll. While the market still gets a steady stream of business, it has to keep up with the times, they said.

In the face of the closings of area retail giants such as Hess's and Leh's, Moll said they'll fight to "keep this Lehigh Valley tradition alive."

Diversifying is one way to attract new customers, she said.

"We are picking and choosing merchants who we think will be an asset to the community," she said.

One of the new merchants is Martha Westbrook of Martha's Jewelry Basket. When her fiance first suggested opening a jewelry business at the food-oriented market, Westbrook laughed. Three months ago she started one and found immediate success.

"I never dreamt I'd end up in the Farmers Market," Westbrook said.

Not long after losing her job at the beginning of the year, Westbrook said, she decided to fulfill her jewelry-store dream.

"It's been one of the best things I've ever done," she said.

Karen Bealer of Bethlehem said diversity is one reason the market is so popular. She's been patronizing the market for 10 years and the crowds have been a mainstay, she said. But Bealer said to compete, renovations are needed.

Bealer shops on Saturdays, picking up quality produce when the bargains abound, she said.

"This is fun on Saturday," she said. "It's wall-to-wall people, and (the merchants) just want to get rid of everything."

Diane Consalvi, manager of Mary Ann Donut Kitchen, said the diversity of the customers is what makes the market charming.

"One of the greatest things about the place is that it's a little microcosm of the world," she said.

But Consalvi said the market needs more younger customers to survive.

Ray "Bubba" Adams, owner of Heckenberger's Seafood, said the renovations might succeed in bringing in new customers. He said business has been good this year so far, but he doesn't know if the renovations have anything to do with it.

Adams has seen the same faces throughout his 15 years at the market.

"They might try the supermarkets, but they still come back," he said. "You can't get anything fresher."

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FARMERS MARKET IMPROVEMENT

Here are highlights of major improvements at the Allentown Farmers Market. Some are not complete: